‘I don’t know how long I will be away for, but it won’t be any longer than a year.

‘You will find my school uniform in a bin bag in a small barn in the field on the green, down the road from Membury church. My bike is chained to the fence, there is a spare key to the lock on the window.

‘Please can you apologise to the restaurant and tell them that I will no longer be able to work there. I know you will be upset, but understand that I have to do this. From Arthur.’

He had just received ‘outstanding’ GCSE grades and started his A levels the previous day (Picture: SWNS)

He attends one of Britain’s top-rated state schools (Picture: SWNS)

Police said Arthur admired his older brother who had hitchhiked around Europe funded by work he picked up on the way.